Liverpool 2 Stoke 0: Suarez quick to make his mark

LIVERPOOL 2 -- STOKE 0

THOSE on The Kop have a new hero in waiting, but Liverpool will not be jumping to giddy conclusions after Luis Suarez’s first foray in the iconic No7 shirt.

This is a club well aware of the dangers of knee-jerk judgements on expensive foreign signings, having seen El-Hadji Diouf and Djibril Cisse both score on their debuts only to subsequently desert them and their reputations to plummet.

An impish cameo from Suarez on his Anfield bow brought him a goal within 16 minutes of his introduction as a substitute – the same length of time it took for Fernando Torres to score here – and succeeded in whetting the appetite.

Liverpool were ahead through Raul Meireles’ third goal in four games when Dirk Kuyt sent the £22.8 million former Ajax star scampering clear.

He rounded Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic before rolling a shot towards a gaping goal. A sliding Andy Wilkinson intercepted the goalbound shot, but succeeded only in clearing it on to his post with the ball rebounding into the net.

With Andy Carroll still to come, life without Torres may not be quite as unappealing as many supporters first feared.

This was a third straight win and clean sheet to maintain Liverpool’s improvement and owed much to Steven Gerrard’s tenacity, drive and eagerness to prove that while team-mates may come and go, his commitment cannot be faulted.

Injury prevented Carroll’s debut, though the warmth of the rapturous ovation he received when introduced on the pitch will have given Liverpool’s £35m record signing an insight into how the red hordes are seeking new icons to laud.

It was not surprising Suarez started on the bench. His last official game for Ajax was on December 8 due to a suspension and Stoke are not the sort of opponents someone new to the hurly-burly of the Premier League might relish.

Instead, it was Sotirios Kyrgiakos, a signing from back in the days when Liverpool’s transfer revenues were used to meet soaring bank interest repayments rather than team strengthening, who came close to breaking the deadlock.

Gerrard’s corner was met with a glancing header by the Greek defender, one of three centre-halves in the starting line-up, only for Salif Diao to hack it from his own goal-line.

It was like old times. Diao’s uninspiring spell at Anfield may have ended many seasons ago, but the sound of the home gallery cursing him rang familiar.

Liverpool’s failure to glean an early goal buoyed Stoke, organised and obdurate as always, and made for an evening of toil.

Liverpool’s formation appeared jumbled – Glen Johnson playing higher up the pitch than usual on the left, Martin Kelly the same on the right and Fabio Aurelio in the middle with Lucas – and the tempo suffered accordingly.

The ball took too long to reach Gerrard and Meireles in positions where they could threaten and it was just before the break before they fashioned another opening of note.

Kelly’s scintillating cross arrowed towards the back post and was the sort of delivery Carroll will relish. But on this occasion it was Johnson who bustled his way past Andy Wilkinson to meet it.

His firm header should have produced the breakthrough, but a wondrous one-handed save from the impressive Begovic thrillingly kept the ball out.

But immediately after the interval came the moment to ensure that Tony Pulis’ 100th Premier League match in charge at Stoke will not linger long in his memory.

Gerrard’s long-range free-kick took a deflection and prompted a game of pinball in the Stoke penalty area, with Krygiakos’ eyes almost lighting up before Meirles pounced on the loose ball. He smashed home a shot with his weaker left foot to beat Begovic.

Suarez’s first touch following his introduction was met with a firm challenge from Wilkinson before an impudent flick bamboozled his marker and a back-heel almost played in Martin Skrtel.